How to keep Kenyans thinking green in 2026

Dr Isaac Kalua Green, the Chief Steward of Green Africa Foundation and a reknown environmentalist helps a small boy plant a tree during one of the Plant Your Age inititiaves. On Saturday, Kalua led mourners in Athi, Kitui County to plant 101 trees in honour of a village matriach who died aged 101. [Philip Muasya, Standard] 

The year 2025 ends on a high, with 22-year-old Truphena Muthoni capturing global headlines for enduring 72 hours of harsh weather without food, or breaks in a silent protest against destruction of indigenous trees and forests.

She surpassed her own 48-hour record set earlier in February, which the Guinness World Records recognised just the other day, after her second feat. She is now an ambassador of the national 15-billion tree planting campaign.

This was not the only youth voice heard in calls for better environmental stewardship. Digital platforms have been awash with youth applying creative storytelling and community action to advocate environmental justice, all cognizant of the fact that climate change is affecting access to water, food, and peace. There have been more youth-led tree planting and sustainable waste management campaigns, sometimes in collaboration with local governments. Such actions are transformative, starting from the grassroots.

The year was not without crises. Hunger, drought, landslides and floods, including the swelling Rift Valley lakes, displaced communities. Yet courage and community triumphed in other areas. The Environment and Lands Court dealt a blow to the planned 1,050MW Lamu coal-fired power plant following years of community opposition citing inadequate Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). With this, the courts confirmed that the EIA is not just a paper, but a serious procedure that, for the Lamu community, stood between them and their lives, their lands, the ocean, their mainstay, and all that sustains them. Environmental governance, especially of riparian land and wetlands, was upheld, a proof that environmental law matters. The citizenry voice was heard, and their place in environmental stewardship reinforced.

Away from the ocean and coal, Kenya still maintains an above 90 per cent reliance on renewable sources of energy, including geothermal, solar, wind and hydro-power, a good story in the renewable energy transition discourse any day. It is also proof that economic growth and climate responsibility can go hand in hand. This came with corporate climate responsibility. One that stood out was the Ken-Gen’s 887,200 trees planted in and around key watersheds and energy infrastructure zones. Its initial target was 830,000.

As 2026 takes the baton, challenges will still be immense. Issues around degraded rangelands and contested carbon markets will not be resolved in a day. The failing crops and drying rivers will not be revived instantly. But there is real momentum and hope, both which must translate into policy follow-through. We must continue to enforce environmental laws. We must not compromise on proper land-use planning. We must invest in community-led restoration, together with climate-resilient agriculture. While the youth seem to have taken solution seeking into their own hands through innovative initiatives, local and national governments must support them for better results through reasonable budget allocation.

Kenya’s environmental story in 2025 is the hope that should inspire more action in 2026. This hope is not a luxury, but strategy that must begin with communities, and youth, anchored in our shared natural heritage and values, as the pride of Africa. The 2026 election cycle must not derail goodwill. Action and environmental credibility must overshadow the expected political rhetoric even as the 2027 General Election draws nearer. Action must be seen not only through budgetary allocations in the devolved as well as national governments, but also best disaster preparedness, and enhanced early warning systems. These will inspire action before lives are put at risk.

For 2026 to reward climate action, the political leadership must put the money where their mouths are. Statistics indicate that Kenya’s losses to climate impacts range from 2-5 per cent of its GDP annually. This alone is reason enough to ensure climate-related spending gives best results.

Writer is a contributing editor at Mongabay. [e-mail]